Denver Broncos / NFL

Denver Broncos are determined to bounce back Saturday against Bills at Buffalo

Broncos safety Brian Dawkins, at practice Wednesday, said: "You're not going to play in the NFL if you don't have pride in yourself. (The Bills) want to win just like we want to win." Buffalo has lost seven straight. John Leyba, The Denver Post

Dawkins was talking Wednesday about the Broncos rebounding from a loss, a bad loss, and refocusing for Saturday's game at Buffalo. They can't afford to feel any aftereffects from last weekend's 41-23 disappointment against New England, he said.

"There's no hangover," Dawkins said. "We played a really good team in the Patriots. We understand that. We left a lot of things on the field, mistakes-wise. Those are the things you cannot allow to happen.

"We learn from those mistakes. We're going to put on our hard hats and our business suits for this business trip to Buffalo and try to play our best ball again."

Memories of the loss to the Patriots (11-3) must be hard to forget. In what was considered the NFL's game of the week, the Broncos (8-6) finally got off to a fast start. Denver rolled up 218 yards of offense in the first quarter, and a field goal by Matt Prater early in the second period put the Broncos up 16-7.

However, momentum took up permanent residence on the New England side later in the second quarter when the Broncos lost three fumbles. Denver managed only 175 yards of offense in the last three quarters. Going the other way, breakdowns by Denver's defense helped quarterback Tom Brady have the kind of day (320 yards passing, with two touchdowns and no interceptions) befitting that of a future Hall of Famer.

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There's no denying that the Broncos wilted under the bright lights. That six-game winning streak felt long gone. Afterward, cornerback Champ Bailey was outspoken about his team's performance, saying: "We showed today we're not ready to go in the playoffs and make a push."

Wednesday, Bailey said he felt "a lot better" about the Broncos and their chances in the postseason.

"I feel real good about the last two days of practice. Guys seem to be refocused," Bailey said Wednesday. "We thought we were going to do good things (against the Patriots). But when the pressure's on, you have to make it carry over from practice."

Perhaps ever since football was invented, coaches have said players can learn more from a loss than a victory. Bailey concurred. "You hate to lose, to try to learn lessons," he said. "But if you're still in position (for the playoffs), losing can sometimes be good for you. None of us like it. We learned a lot from it. We just have to keep pushing forward."

One of the charges of veteran players on any sports team is to convince younger players that a struggling opponent can be dangerous, and that a losing record doesn't necessarily reflect talent or capability.

It's no different with the Broncos.

"(Buffalo) is going to play regardless of their record," Dawkins said of the 5-9 Bills, who began the season 5-2 but have lost their last seven games. "You're not going to play in the NFL if you don't have pride in yourself. They want to win just like we want to win.

"Being with their families right around Christmastime, they're going to want to play good football. So we can't worry about what they're going to do. We have to worry about fixing the things we did wrong."

One point of emphasis this week is to ensure better communication in the back end of the defense. The absence of Dawkins (neck injury) against the Patriots left Denver with two rookie safeties (Quinton Carter and Rahim Moore) in the starting lineup. Mistakes were made.

"We just have to make sure we talk on the football field, whether it's by signal or verbal," said Dawkins, who likely will be declared "questionable" when the injury report is released today. "Those are the things we did early in the year — when we were giving up those big plays.

"We have to get back to communicating properly, making sure we're all on the same page playing football. Then whatever happens, happens."

The message from Broncos veterans must be getting through. Tight end Dante Rosario, a second-year player, appears revved up for Saturday's game.

"We're not looking at Buffalo's record," Rosario said. "We're looking at them as guys that play on Sunday, and they have good players. We know it's going to be a challenge. We're looking at the tape. And their tape tells us they're a good team."

Added Bailey: "We've got our hands full. We just have to make sure we bring the same intensity."

Not all kids who play baseball are uniformed with fancy script across their chests, traveling to $1,000 instructional camps and drilled how to properly hit the cut-off man. Some kids just play to play.